Are you on a 20 minute delay? May want to update that...down to +15....now around 30

Your Google is faster than my Google?

Actually...some truth to that: I just looked again and it refreshed the time....it has been two hours behind.

Check the small print on whatever DJI you are using...most of them will usually say somewhere "'5 minute delay" or something like that...some are real time...some are more than 5 minute delay (easier just to take snapshots than be real time, streaming)

Then again, if it doesnt update until you refresh...then there you go. Never refresh that page and you win every day!

Are you on a 20 minute delay? May want to update that...down to +15....now around 30

Your Google is faster than my Google?

Actually...some truth to that: I just looked again and it refreshed the time....it has been two hours behind.

Check the small print on whatever DJI you are using...most of them will usually say somewhere "'5 minute delay" or something like that...some are real time...some are more than 5 minute delay (easier just to take snapshots than be real time, streaming)

Then again, if it doesnt update until you refresh...then there you go. Never refresh that page and you win every day!

One of the coolest "free apps" I've come across in quite a while is CNBC RT (Real Time) for the iPad. No delay, video, news, etc...Bloomberg has one too. So does Morningstar.

Tifosi77 - It is a sad band of misfits at S&P and their counterparts at Moody and Fitch are no different with their pathetic ratings. I'm amazed anyone is willing to invest their life savings into stocks after 9/11 and the housing crash.

mac5155 wrote:So just a general question. I put 3% into my 401k every pay. is that money certain? or could I lose it since I believe it is invested in stocks through Vanguard.

Your 401k can lose value. Things are depressing right now, but just dont worry about it for a while and the market will come back. Every time you put your 3% in (and subsequently any company match) - you are buying shares of something. You may want to look to know exactly what you are buying (vanguard offers many different options). Chances are, the value has gone down, but your pay check will keep going in and you can consider the new money as buying at a discount of sorts. You will get more shares for your money and when the market returns to posting positive numbers, you will make more in the long run.

Besides, if you have a company match, it is still very much worth it to keep investing. You can still "lose" a lot of money and you can consider that the company match money and you still have all the money from your paycheck

mac5155 wrote:So just a general question. I put 3% into my 401k every pay. is that money certain? or could I lose it since I believe it is invested in stocks through Vanguard.

Your 401k can lose value. Things are depressing right now, but just dont worry about it for a while and the market will come back. Every time you put your 3% in (and subsequently any company match) - you are buying shares of something. You may want to look to know exactly what you are buying (vanguard offers many different options). Chances are, the value has gone down, but your pay check will keep going in and you can consider the new money as buying at a discount of sorts. You will get more shares for your money and when the market returns to posting positive numbers, you will make more in the long run.

Besides, if you have a company match, it is still very much worth it to keep investing. You can still "lose" a lot of money and you can consider that the company match money and you still have all the money from your paycheck

This...

A couple things you SHOULD know about your investing:

1. Where is it allocated? You can probably find this online or your quarterly statement.2. Does the company match? What is the match? Make sure you take advantage of that... for example, if they match 100% up to 5% and you are only doing 3%, it's a no brainer to add the extra 2% b/c you are automatically doubling your money.3. You are putting your money into investments, so they will increase and decrease in value (in theory, you could lose it all or turn it into $100 million). Invest in a strategy that matches your retirement outlook. For example, at age 25, you invest differently than age 40. And at 40 you invest differently than age 55.

Speaking of 401(k)s...... what would you recommend as the best ratio of investments? When I first started on my professional path, I did about a 3:1 ratio of high-risk, high-yield stocks to lower-risk 'long run' stocks. As I've gotten older, I've heard that you should begin inverting that ratio to protect your nestegg. Is that accurate? What's the best way to do it?

tifosi77 wrote:Speaking of 401(k)s...... what would you recommend as the best ratio of investments? When I first started on my professional path, I did about a 3:1 ratio of high-risk, high-yield stocks to lower-risk 'long run' stocks. As I've gotten older, I've heard that you should begin inverting that ratio to protect your nestegg. Is that accurate? What's the best way to do it?

I'm not a financial planner, but I would just lower that ratio over time. You are at 3:1 now. Maybe go 2:1 or 1:1 high vs low risk depending on your age.

mac5155 wrote:So just a general question. I put 3% into my 401k every pay. is that money certain? or could I lose it since I believe it is invested in stocks through Vanguard.

Your 401k can lose value. Things are depressing right now, but just dont worry about it for a while and the market will come back. Every time you put your 3% in (and subsequently any company match) - you are buying shares of something. You may want to look to know exactly what you are buying (vanguard offers many different options). Chances are, the value has gone down, but your pay check will keep going in and you can consider the new money as buying at a discount of sorts. You will get more shares for your money and when the market returns to posting positive numbers, you will make more in the long run.

Besides, if you have a company match, it is still very much worth it to keep investing. You can still "lose" a lot of money and you can consider that the company match money and you still have all the money from your paycheck

This...

A couple things you SHOULD know about your investing:

1. Where is it allocated? You can probably find this online or your quarterly statement.2. Does the company match? What is the match? Make sure you take advantage of that... for example, if they match 100% up to 5% and you are only doing 3%, it's a no brainer to add the extra 2% b/c you are automatically doubling your money.3. You are putting your money into investments, so they will increase and decrease in value (in theory, you could lose it all or turn it into $100 million). Invest in a strategy that matches your retirement outlook. For example, at age 25, you invest differently than age 40. And at 40 you invest differently than age 55.

Yeah I got the whole match thing down-pat to maximize my "free money".. I was just unsure if this was like a savings account or if there was a chance I could lose it.

its all a freakin pyramid scheme... if everybody cashed out the money wouldnt be there... if you want something in life, work for it, dont give the money to corporate rich america and expect a profitable return... whats happening now is only gonna get worse... WAY too much borrowing at all levels... same thing happened a few thousand years ago in Rome... and its gonna happen here... soon... society is a struggle between classes and the gap is too much now... with the economy taking another dive into recession its gonna be interesting to see what happens to the struggling NHL franchises... move to where? sell to who?... foldem

spiritfan wrote:its all a freakin pyramid scheme... if everybody cashed out the money wouldnt be there... if you want something in life, work for it, dont give the money to corporate rich america and expect a profitable return... whats happening now is only gonna get worse... WAY too much borrowing at all levels... same thing happened a few thousand years ago in Rome... and its gonna happen here... soon... society is a struggle between classes and the gap is too much now... with the economy taking another dive into recession its gonna be interesting to see what happens to the struggling NHL franchises... move to where? sell to who?... foldem

There is not one sign that points to an impending recession. An abysmally slow recovery? Yes. A recession? No. Fear mongering is not a sign of a recession.

tifosi77 wrote:Speaking of 401(k)s...... what would you recommend as the best ratio of investments? When I first started on my professional path, I did about a 3:1 ratio of high-risk, high-yield stocks to lower-risk 'long run' stocks. As I've gotten older, I've heard that you should begin inverting that ratio to protect your nestegg. Is that accurate? What's the best way to do it?

I'm not a financial planner, but I would just lower that ratio over time. You are at 3:1 now. Maybe go 2:1 or 1:1 high vs low risk depending on your age.

If you really are not sure what you are doing, most 401k's have "target date funds." You pick the one with the number of your approximate retirement year (ie if you are 40 right now, you may be looking at something called "Vanguard Target Date 2035"). These funds automatically re-balance your portfolio to be less risky as you approach retirement.

That said, you should still look in to what the fund is investing in because some of these got into trouble for being too risky during the recession and a lot of people about to retire lost a lot more than they maybe should have.

I did just get my "statement" so to speak. In 6 months I have about a $1300 balance. I'm not contributing as much as I'd like just because of school loans, etc, but I am contributing the same as my employer's 100% match. I think they match 100% of the first 3% and 50% of the next 5%.

spiritfan wrote:its all a freakin pyramid scheme... if everybody cashed out the money wouldnt be there... if you want something in life, work for it, dont give the money to corporate rich america and expect a profitable return... whats happening now is only gonna get worse... WAY too much borrowing at all levels... same thing happened a few thousand years ago in Rome... and its gonna happen here... soon... society is a struggle between classes and the gap is too much now... with the economy taking another dive into recession its gonna be interesting to see what happens to the struggling NHL franchises... move to where? sell to who?... foldem

There is not one sign that points to an impending recession. An abysmally slow recovery? Yes. A recession? No. Fear mongering is not a sign of a recession.

Most Economists that are looking at it from a macro level are saying there's a pretty good chance it could go either way.

I certainly wouldn't say that a persistent unemployment rate of 9% (plus or mines a few tenths) is "Not one sign".

I did just get my "statement" so to speak. In 6 months I have about a $1300 balance. I'm not contributing as much as I'd like just because of school loans, etc, but I am contributing the same as my employer's 100% match. I think they match 100% of the first 3% and 50% of the next 5%.

It's probably worded slightly different... 100% for the first 3% and 50% up to 5% is pretty standard. If they are going to give you 50% on the next 5%, take it. Actually, either way, bump it up to maximize their match. If it's up to 5% like I think it is, you will not feel that 2% in your net take home since 401k is pre-tax.

Also, as you build up the balance, consider taking out a loan to pay off some of your debt. You will be making the same payments, but YOU get the interest instead of the creditor.